London film festival picks span Charleson drama, Birmingham lives and vampire fantasy
Original report:
The Guardian’s October 2026 selection of London film festival highlights ranged from Andrew Scott portraying actor Ian Charleson to new work by Mike Leigh and Clio Barnard. Its 12 recommendations mixed British social realism with historical drama, comedy and science fiction.
Andrew Scott’s portrayal of Ian Charleson in Elsinore featured among 12 London film festival recommendations published by the Guardian on 6 October 2026. The film centres on Charleson’s decision to perform Hamlet at the National Theatre in 1989 while severely ill with Aids. The critic also highlighted Mike Leigh’s drama about two west London flatmates working in social care.
Other selections included Clio Barnard’s Birmingham-set I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning and Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, following Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika in postwar Germany. The list also featured Boots Riley’s fashion-theft comedy I Love Boosters, Andrew Haigh’s literary adaptation A Long Winter and Lili Horvát’s science-fiction mystery My Notes on Mars.
The selection offered a view of the festival through one critic’s recommendations, rather than a comprehensive programme guide. Its subjects connected cinema with regional music, social care, family obligations and historical memory. Praise for performances and suggestions of Oscar potential were critical judgments, not reports of awards or nominations.
Source
the Guardian — 6 October 2026
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